Elizabeth McQueen

Respect Nicki Minaj!

This week on The Breaks:

Fresh is out, so host Confucius Jones explores the legacy of Nicki Minaj after the re-release of her 2009 mixtape “Beam Me Up Scotty.”
This week’s installment of Random Hip-Hop facts centers around LL Cool J and Jay-Z after the announcement that both of them will be inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.
Confucius talks about Future’s recent jab at his ex Lori Harvey on 42 Dugg’s song “Maybach, and proclaims that Future complains about women more than Drake does.
In his Confucius Says segment Confucius acknowledges that the odds are stacked against Black and Brown Austinites, but still encourages them to do the work to fix the problems they see around them, even when it’s hard.

You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.

In the latest episode of Pause/Play we tackle the question “To Play, or Play or not Play?” We asked 15 Austin Musicians the same questions — Have you performed during the pandemic? Are you ready to perform now? What would it take to make you feel comfortable performing the way we used to pre-pandemic? Their answers provide insight into what it’s been like to be a musician during COVID and what kind of decisions artists are faced with now that more people are getting vaccinated and COVID restrictions are loosening.

AUSTIN, TX. May 7, 2021. Pause/Play. Tameca Jones is pictured in Central Austin. Michael Minasi/KUTX

In this episode you’ll hear from:
Tameca Jones
Chinasa Broxton from Tribe Mafia
Daisy O’connor
Nayome
Topaz McGarrigle from Golden Dawn Arkestra
Yin & Yang
Gina Chavez
Corey Baum from Croy and the Boys
Jaehross
Megz Kelli and Dougie Do from Magna Carda
Sara Houser
Chris Conde
Daniel Fears

Let us know your thoughts! Take the Pause/Play Survey!

AUSTIN, TX. May 4, 2021. Pause/Play. Jaeh Ross is pictured in South Austin. Michael Minasi/KUTX

Listen to the Songs featured in “To Play, or Not To Play?”

AUSTIN, TX. May 4, 2021. Pause/Play. Topaz McGarrigle, of Golden Dawn Arkestra, is pictured at his home in East Austin. Michael Minasi/KUTX

Respect Big Boi!

This week on The Breaks:

Hosts Confucius and Fresh try to combat all the online negativity surrounding Big Boi.
The hosts talk about the recent fight between NLE Choppa, his entourage and one of his fans.
You’ll learn interesting things about Run DMC, Toni Braxton, Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin, Nas, DJ Khaled, Fat Joe and more in this week’s installment of Random Hip-Hop Facts.
In his Unpopular Opinion, Fresh cautions local artists from trying to get their music listened to by publicly airing their grievances with other rappers.
In his Confucius Says segment Confucius encourages people to keep pursuing their dreams.

You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.

Catching up with the Breaks

The Breaks are back after a two week hiatus. In this episode:

Confucius and Fresh honor Shock G who passed away on April 22.
both hosts discuss Irv Gotti’s comments about the passing of DMX
the hosts debate whether Busta Rhymes was right to crown Bobby Shmurda “The King of New York.”
you’ll learn little known facts about Irv Gotti, Fat Joe, Mase, Diddy, Lord Infamous, Cappadonna & Drake’s classic record “Views.”
In his Unpopular Opinion Fresh states that, “Sorry Not Sorry” the DJ Khaled song featuring Jay-Z and Nas is lackluster.
In his Confucius Says segment Confucius encourages people to enjoy where they are not a not try to bring other people down.

The Breaks are on every Saturday 10pm-1am on KUTX 98.9.

You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.

The Pivot

In the latest episode of Pause/Play we talk to the lunch ladies of Free Lunch, musician J Soulja, the founders of Mosaic Live Wire and entrepreneur and artist Cam the TSTMKR about how they’ve pivoted during the pandemic.

You’ll hear from
Jazz Mills — event producer and co-founder of Free Lunch
Carrie Fussell Bickley — singer and songwriter with Calliope Musicals and co-founder of Free Lunch
Caroline Rose –singer, songwriter and producer and lunch lady at Free Lunch
J Soulja — hip-hop artist and promoter
Dan Redman — founder of Mosaic Sound Collective and co-founder of Mosaic Live Wire
Mike Henry — co-founder of Mosaic Live Wire
Stuart Sullivan — owner of Wire Recording and co-founder of Mosaic Live Wire
Cam the TSTMKR — hip-hop artist and entrepreneur

Let us know your thoughts! Take the Pause/Play Survey!

AUSTIN, TX. April 20, 2021. Jazz Mills, of Free Lunch, serves fresh fruit at an event. Michael Minasi/KUTX

AUSTIN, TX. April 24, 2021. From the left: Dan Redman, Mike Henry, and Stuart Sullivan, of the Mosaic Sound Collective and Mosaic Live. Michael Minasi/KUTX

Find out how to contribute to Free Lunch
Find out more about Caroline Rose
Find out more about Calliope Musicals
Find out more about Jazz Mills project Popecoke
Check out Behind the Song on The Smokeout’s InstagramTV
Find out more about Behind the Song Live, Which airs May 4th at 8pm
Find out more about Mosaic Sound Collective
Find out more about Mosaic Live Wire
Find out more about Wire Recording
Find out more about Rent a Record Label

The Art of LiveStreaming

We’re looking at the art of live streaming. You’ll hear the different ways people are approaching it and what it could mean for the future of the Austin music community.

In this episode you’ll hear from singer and Songwriter Kevin McKinney, Myf Mars from Hotel Free TV, photographer Ismael Quintanilla lll, Jason Reece from …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, Evan and Dustin Bozarth & Grego Loboz from Purple Bee TV, Sean Green and Eric Heirt from Safe House, Sarah Keilers aka Dossey and Drew Dunavan from Love and Lightstream

This episode has music from, Kevin McKinney, Sweet Spirit, Sasha and the Valentines, Jaime Ospina, Pelvis Wrestley, …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, David Shabani, Jagtronica and Dossey.

Links:

Kevin McKinney Music

Hotel Free TV

Hotel Free TV’s Patreon.

Ismael Quintanilla’s I Am Here All Day

…And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead

Purple Bee TV

Safe House

Love and Lightstream

Listen to music from this episode

The Breaks: Rest in Power DMX

In this episode of The Breaks hosts Confucius and Fresh:

mourn the passing of DMX.
tell you some little know facts about DMX as part of Random Hip-Hop facts
discuss Diddy’s open letter calling out GM for not investing in Black-owned Media

You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.

Prayers for DMX

This week on The Breaks:

hosts Confucius and Fresh send prayers out to DMX, who was currently hospitalized after a heart attack.
both hosts break down the recent beef between OJ da Juiceman and Waka FlockaFlame.
Fresh and Confucius discuss Young Dolph’s announcement that he once again is retiring from music.
you’ll learn little known facts about Biggie, DJ Clue, Steve Stout, the Martin TV Show, OJ da Juiceman, Gucci Mane, Cam’ron and more in this week’s installment of Random Hip-Hop Facts.
Fresh states his Unpopular Opinion that Papoose’s time has passed.
In his Confucius Says segment, Confucius encourages people to avoid giving hypocritical advice.

You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.

Saweetie vs Quavo

This week on The Breaks

hosts Confucius and Fresh discuss Saweetie and Quavo’s recent breakup.
the hosts talk about Master P’s desire to buy Reebok.
In this week’s installment of Random Hip Hop Facts Confucius and Fresh tell you interesting tidbits about Raekwon, the recording of “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx,” Ne-Yo, Dr. Dre, Black Thought and more.
Fresh states his Unpopular Opinion that older people have to stop judging younger people for not knowing the music of their elders.
Inspired by the controversy around Tamika Mallory, Confucius states that no activist should be profiting from other people’s pain in his Confucius Says segment.

You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.

The Reopening

On March 10th the Texas governor re-opened the state. Now businesses can operate at 100% capacity. He also lifted the statewide mask mandate. We talked to musicians, venue owners & staff about how they plan to navigate the reopening.

In this episode you’ll hear from:

Cody Cowan: Executive Director of the Red River Cultural District
Stephen Sternschein: the managing partner of Heard Presents which operates Empire Control Room,
James Moody: founder of the Austin music venue Mohawk ,
Kate Holley: illustrator and also manager and bartender at Cheer-Up Charlies,
Clayton England: musician and also bartender at the Far out Lounge
Mama Duke : singer songwriter and voice over actor
Lili Hickman: musician and visual artist

We have a survey and we’d love to hear what you think! Go ahead! Take the survey here!

Find out more about Mama Duke
Check out Mama Duke as the voice of Hip-Hop Hippo
Find out more about Lili Hickman’s art and her band Flora and Fawna.
Check out Clayton England’s music

Listen to the music by Austin Artists featured in this episode:

All Things Grammys

This week on The Breaks hosts Confucius and Fresh:

Discuss this year’s Grammy Awards.
Jump into the drama surrounding Kirk Franklin after his son Kerrion released a profanity laden phone call from the gospel artist.
Drop little known facts about about Grammy history, the movie “Paid in Full,” the tv shows “In Living Color” and “Snowfall” and more in the latest installment of Random Hip-Hop Facts
Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that while it’s wonderful to see the Black Pumas represent Austin on the national stage, he still thinks Austin is being unfairly depicted as a guitar only town.
Inspired by the Megan the Stallion and Cardi B’s Grammy performance of WAP! Confucius encourages men to stop policing women’s behavior and fathers to stop policing their daughter’s sexuality in his Confucius Says segment.

You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.

Did Verzuz Sell Out?

This week on The Breaks:

Host’s Confucius and Fresh talk about the sale of Verzuz to Triller Network, and discuss whether or not this means that Timbaland and Swizz Beatz sold out.
Both hosts discuss whether CMG is the hottest record label in the game right now.
In this week’s installment of Random Hip Hop Facts, you’ll learn facts about Kris Kross, Fat Joe, Biggie and the movie “Any Given Sunday.” Plus Fresh dispells the idea that J-bo and Andre 3000 are related.
Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that Soulja Boy is more hip-hop than people give him credit for.
In his Confucius Says segment, Confucius encourages people not to put too much importance on award shows.

You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.

Uzi Loves JT

This week on The Breaks

Hosts Fresh and Confucius talk about Lil Uzi Vert and JT finally going public with their relationship.
In this week’s installment of “Random Hip-Hop facts” you’ll learn interesting things about Biggie, super-producer The Alchemist, Ludacris, The YoungBloodZ, Lil Wayne and more.
In his Unpopular Opinion, Fresh holds that if Biggie had not been killed, Jay-Z might not have been Jay-Z.
In his Confucius Says segment, Confucius says it’s okay to enjoy being right, as long as you treat other people with respect.

The Breaks are on every Saturday 10pm-1am on KUTX 98.9.

You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.

Shmurda Home!

In this episode of The Breaks:

Confucius and Fresh talk about Bobby Shmurda’s recent release from prison.
Both Hosts discuss Jay-Z’s latest deal with Moet Hennessy, and talk about how not everyone has to achieve the same success as Jay-Z in order to be considered successful.
Fresh explains his confusion and disappointment around the announcement of the upcoming Verzuz battle between Raekwon and Ghostface Killah
In this week’s installment of “Random Hip-Hop” facts you’ll learn interesting tidbits about Dr. Dre, Nas, Lupe Fiasco, Rihanna, J-Bo, Andre 3000 and more.
In his Unpopular Opinion Fresh states that Nicki Minaj will be remembered as the greatest female rapper of all time.
In his Confucius says Confucius says that when it comes to famous ex-friends like Dame Dash and Jay-Z, fans need to let go off the idea of reconciliation.

The Breaks are on every Saturday 10pm-1am on KUTX 98.9.

You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.

Nelly vs St. Lunatics

In this episode of The Breaks

Hosts Confucius and Fresh talk about the recent dispute between Nelly and Ali from St. Lunatics.
Both hosts talk about why they think Pooh Shiesty and Flo Milly will be two of the breakout stars of 2021.
In this week’s installment of Random Hip-Hop Facts you’ll learn things you might not have known about Lil’ Wayne, Warren G, Outkast and more.
Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that Prince was intimidated by Michael Jackson.
In his Confucius Says segment, Confucius encourages listeners not to lose touch with who they are, even in the midst the pandemic.

Listen on The Apple Podcasts App, Spotify or Stitcher

The Breaks are on every Saturday 10pm-1am on KUTX 98.9.

You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.

Was Lil Wayne Right?

This week on The Breaks:

Hosts Confucius and Fresh discuss former President Trump’s pardon of Lil Wanye, and ask whether the rapper was right to support Trump during the election.
Both hosts talk how Lil’ Flip might fare if he did a Verzuz with T.I.
Confucius and Fresh interview Austin based producer and DJ Mason Flynt about the closing of Music Lab and his thoughts on how to improve Austin’s hip-hop scene.
In this week’s installment of Random Hip-Hop facts the hosts talk about the beef between Cash Money and No Limit, the issue that Nas had with Biggie and more.

You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.

Funkmaster Flex Does it Again

In this episode of The Breaks

Hosts Confucius and Fresh talk about the reconciliation between Snoop Dogg and Eminem, and about Dr. Dre’s recent recovery from a brain aneurysm.
Both hosts discuss Funkmaster Flex’s rise to prominence, his influence in the industry and his penchant for saying things that put him on the wrong side of history.
In this week’s installment of “Random Hip Hop Facts” The hosts tell you interesting tidbits about Swisher House, Jermaine Dupri, Angie Martinez, Usher and more.
In his Unpopular Opinion Fresh states that he hopes musicians will think twice before leaving Austin for another city to further their career.
In his “Confucius Says” segment Confucius encourages people to listen with compassion to those in need.

The Breaks are on every Saturday 10pm-1am on KUTX 98.9.

You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.

Mental Health During the Pandemic

Hear from mental healthcare providers and people in the Austin Music Ecosystem about mental health during the pandemic.

You’ll hear from Kalu James from Kalu and the Electric Joint , Vanessa Burden of Los Alcos, Austen Bailey former Talent Buyer for Mohawk, Patty Bouressa from The SIMS Foundation, Brandee Smith MS, LPC, LCDC, Austin Mental Health Care Resources, The Sims Foundation

Austin Texas Mental Health Resources

Other Information:

National Independent Venue Association
Save Our Stages

Music By:

Kalu and The Electric Joint
Los Alcos

Check out Downfall — the latest song from Kalu and the Electric Joint.

Bonus Episode: Interview with Chaka from Riders Against the Storm

In this bonus episode of The Breaks, Confucius and Fresh talk to Chaka from the Austin Hip-Hop Duo Riders Against the Storm about his experience as the first Black chair of the City of Austin’s Music Commission, his work to create the Black Live Music Fund, why he created the DAWA fund, and what’s next for Riders Against the Storm.

Sliding Into 2021 Like…

On this episode of The Breaks:

Confucius and Fresh remember MF Doom after the announcement of his death.
Both hosts talk about the feud between Snoop Dogg and Eminem.
The hosts discuss Young Thug’s comment that Jay-Z doesn’t have 30 songs that everybody knows word for word.
In this installment of Hip-Hop facts Confucius and Fresh tell you things you didn’t know about Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, 3LW, Beyonce and more.
In light of Will.i.am’s comments about not feeling accepted by Black audiences, Confucius and Fresh explore the history of Black Eyed Peas and debate whether they are a Black group or not.
Fresh puts forward the Unpopular Opinion that Black audiences don’t always respond to acts that are doing things they consider “weird.”

The Breaks are on every Saturday 10pm-1am on KUTX 98.9.

You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.